<Begin Segment 27>

MK: [Jpn.] But every year, on the Fourth of July, my husband took me to Point Defiance in Tacoma. It's because he spent most of his life or most of his adult life there. In Tacoma.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] That's why he takes me. He misses Tacoma.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Eng.] Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] Then you spent the whole day on that outing. That was the only holiday you really had, wasn't it?

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. That's right.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] Uh-huh. That's the only time.

TY: [Jpn.] Then did you take off your work clothes?

MK: [Jpn.] Yes. Of course. That's the proper thing to do.

TY: [Jpn.] What kind of clothes did you wear for such an occasion?

MK: [Jpn.] That's of course...

TY: [Jpn.] Proper clothes.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. Naturally. You have to dress like a Caucasian.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] Otherwise, you would look funny when you go out.

TY: [Jpn.] I see. Then you might come across somebody you had not seen for a long time.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. But when l look back... I didn't think of this at that time, but Caucasians don't have many children. Not many children.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. So if we took our children with us, one by one, the Caucasians would have been surprised. [Laughs] I felt so. Even I took only four of my children.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] They look like a lot of children.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] Well, the Caucasians have two children or so. Yeah. But I had that many, but I didn't think I had too many. Because they were my children.

<End Segment 27> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.